Book 4, Chapter 104: Plan
Book 4, Chapter 104: Plan
“What’s Plan B?”
In a steady and firm voice, Chen Chuan said, “Since we can’t lock down the tunnels, we should purge those who go inside them.”
Liang Guanghai stayed silent for a while. “Give me the specifics.”
Chen Chuan gave a clear and concise reply. “It’s simple. I’ll go to the merged space and get rid of the armed forces who are clearly a threat to us.”
“You’re a lead investigator. You’re no longer suited to go to the frontlines,” Liang Guanghai countered.
“You know the situation in the Resolution Department right now, Special Officer Liang. Aside from me, no one else can take up this task. According to what I know, you’re also short on manpower. I don’t think you’ll be able to form a team for this on time,” Chen Chuan argued while meeting Liang Guanghai’s gaze squarely.
“Have you thought about who will be in charge of the daily operations of the Resolution Department after you leave?” Liang Guanghai asked.
“I did. Captain Zuo can do it,” Chen Chuan replied.
“Lao Zuo, huh?” Liang Guanghai nodded. “His rank might not be high enough, but he can indeed take over when it comes to daily operations. While I personally like this, the stability of the Resolution Department is of great importance. Not only is it crucial to the World Ring Defense System, but also for the Department of Administrative Affairs. I believe you understand what I mean.”
“I do, but the crux of the current situation isn’t in the Resolution Department, but in the merged space. Besides, Mr. Xue is already here,” Chen Chuan defended his decision.
“You met him?” Liang Guanghai was quite surprised.
“Yes,” Chen Chuan answered with a nod.
This wasn’t an impulsive decision made because he was caught in the heat of the moment. Chen Chuan had taken the current situation into consideration.
With a martial arts master around, the Department of Administrative Affairs could ensure a final line of defense. Because of this, Chen Chuan could do other things with ease of mind.
It was true that Liang Guanghai’s greatest worry was that Chen Chuan was being impulsive and extreme due to his young age, which would mean he didn’t take certain things into full consideration. Once he saw that Chen Chuan had thought things through, he found himself agreeing to his plan.
“This is not a bad idea, but you must understand that the merged space is really complicated. Strength alone isn’t enough inside it. When you’re there, you will not just be fighting against humans, but also various strange creatures and existences from the other world.”
“It won’t be harder than what Captain Xu is doing,” Chen Chuan shot back.
Liang Guanghai considered it before saying, “Alright. I’ll talk to the Department of Administrative Affairs and get back to you later.”
“Please.”
The screen turned dark.
Chen Chuan grabbed the Frost King Saber and unsheathed it to wipe it slowly. After a while, the screen lit up again.
Since he wasn’t done maintaining the Frost King Saber, he set it on the desk.
This time, two people showed up on the screen. Liang Guanghai was joined by an easygoing middle-aged man.
He regarded Chen Chuan, then cast a glance at the Frost King Saber. With a smile, he said, “Hello, Lead Investigator Chen. I’m Qiao Yang, secretary of Chief Secretary Qi. This is our first time seeing each other, but you really are young and promising. You live up to your reputation.”
“Hello, Mr. Qiao,” Chen Chuan responded with a nod.
After the exchange of greetings, Qiao Yang’s expression turned stern.
“Lead Investigator Chen, I’m here to ask a question on Chief Secretary Qi’s behalf. After he learned about your proposal from Special Officer Liang, he wants to know whether you can carry out your plan successfully.”
“If the Department of Administrative Affairs gives me enough authority and orders the military forts to cooperate with me, then as long as no one beyond my strength joins the fray, I’m sure to see this plan through,” Chen Chuan stated with full confidence, and he had reason for it.
First, as long as he stayed within a certain area, he could get replenishments from the military forts and wouldn’t have to prepare anything specifically.
Second, he had the information and maps from Chen Bitong. They recorded places that governmental departments had never bothered to claim. They also contained secret passages, which he could use to cut off certain paths that others needed to take.
On top of that, they showed hiding places that Chen Bitong and his development squad had dug out. As long as Chen Chuan had enough supplies, he could stay for a long time.
Third, he now had Hongfu, and she wasn’t just at the Third Limit. She had only shown herself to be at the Third Limit because of the procedure enforced on her by the university. Once she broke free from her true body, this restriction was growing weaker and only barely maintained itself after she attached herself to him. He wasn’t going to enforce that restriction on her unless absolutely necessary, so this was his new trump card.
Upon seeing how confident Chen Chuan was, Qiao Yang said, “If you’re sure you can succeed, we will support you, but we hope that you will act within your abilities. If you stay alive and serve the Resolution Department, you will undoubtedly be able to contribute to the betterment of the country.”
“I will,” Chen Chuan promised.
“What will you need?” Qiao Yang asked after a nod.
Chen Chuan sent him a document he had already prepared. After skimming through it, Qiao Yang said with a serious face, “We’ll do our best to get you the things you need. I wish you the best.”
“Thank you, Mr. Qiao, and please thank Chief Secretary Qi for me for his support,” Chen Chuan said gratefully.
“I will,” Qiao Yang stated.
***
Once Chen Chuan’s screen turned dark, Qiao Yang and Liang Guanghai continued talking to each other through their Realm Passes.
“Lead Investigator Chen is a courageous young man. I’m impressed that he’s willing to step up when needed,” Qiao Yang commented.
“His willingness to step up comes from his sense of responsibility, and his courage is due to his strength. I trust him. The first thing Mr. Xue did after coming here wasn’t to contact us, but to meet Lead Investigator Chen. This goes to show just how highly he values him,” Liang Guanghai stated.
“Since Mr. Xue favors him, we should trust Lead Investigator Chen,” Qiao Yang said approvingly. “We’ve decided to let him go, so the Department of Administrative Affairs has to do its best to cooperate with him. Let’s hope this will end on a good note.”
“I believe that he can do it, and I’m saying this based on all that he has accomplished in the past,” Liang Guanghai said.
***
After the conversation with Liang Guanghai and Qiao Yang, Chen Chuan checked the footnotes of the testimony. They weren’t related to the current situation, but he needed to pay attention to them, such as the whereabouts of Lead Investigator Wen’s corpse.
Han Fu had said that he didn’t care about it back then and let a Linacrox Union martial artist known as Skin Flayer take care of it. Based on his nickname, Chen Chuan could tell that the situation was terrible. No matter what, once Chen Chuan went to the merged space, he was going to do everything he could to find Lead Investigator Wen’s corpse.
Among the footnotes were also the names of armed combatants Han Fu knew were definitely going to the merged space, along with his understanding of them. After reading through everything, Chen Chuan grabbed some information from the Resolution Department to get a clearer idea of those people’s strengths. Even if he believed himself to be strong enough, he wasn’t going to underestimate any of them.
Once he finished reading, Chen Chuan started getting things ready for after he left the Resolution Department. Since Safe Shield could mobilize the officers when needed, there shouldn’t be too many problems cropping up.
Since they had lost quite a number of officers, Chen Chuan approved some officers-in-training to join the Resolution Department, then transferred some City Patrol guards with good achievements into the Resolution Department to make up for the missing people.
Then, he called Zuo Jinxing into his office to hand over his tasks before asking to see the lead investigators of all the districts and field captains. This had to be done to prevent them from panicking when he was gone.
By the time he was done, it was midnight. Just then, the World Ring Defense System sent the newest merged space information and map to him, so he checked it. There were notes of the merged space’s current situation attached to it. The map contained not just the locations of the military forts but also some secluded military bases.
The geography of the far reaches of the merged space formed most of the information sent over, though he could retrieve it from the Resolution Department as well. In all, it was similar to the information given to him by Chen Bitong.
The current development squad and the government’s explorers proved themselves useful, but some places and paths were unmarked. This could be due to a lack of ability or any other reason. Chen Bitong and his teammates had been able to traverse certain paths, while the current development squad had not done the same. It was possible that they did not have the necessary experience for it.
If Chen Chuan was correct, the Union should have gotten similar information from Han Fu. The companies should have also provided them with some of it.
The reality was that the Union was not at a great disadvantage. Even though the Union and the Linacrox Union wouldn’t be able to get any replenishments from the military forts, they could stop by the hubs and cities the companies built to get support.
Hence, if Chen Chuan wanted to defeat them, he needed to take this into consideration.
***
Chen Chuan spent the entire night in the Resolution Department. He only managed to get everything settled by the morning. After taking a few tubes of nutritional paste, he meditated in his training room. When it was almost noon, Chang Dong called him.
“Mr. Chang?” he said after answering.
“Lead Investigator Chen, the headquarters sent a reply,” Chang Dong replied in a whisper. “They’re sending Mr. Zhuan over. Don’t worry. This time, he’s taking a train. If you have time, why don’t we go and welcome him?”
“Which train station will he be getting off at?” Chen Chuan asked with a nod.
“At Raised Lake Station, in the industrial area in the south of the city. I’ll send the location to you.”
Chen Chuan heard a chime, and he saw the location marked on his map. “Alright, I’ll go and pick you up.”
He ended the call, gave some instructions to the main officers in the Resolution Department, and drove to Majestic Light District to pick up Chang Dong and Gao Yanjun. Then, they left the main city area and followed the Realm Pass’ instructions to the train station located at the industrial area in the south of the city.